The Great Living Chola Temples
Hello Everyone,
This post is all about the "The Great Living Chola Temples".
There are totally 5 sites in Tamilnadu which are recognized as "UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES".
1.Group Of Monuments in Mamallapuram
2.Nilgiri Mountain Train
3.Brihadeshwara Temple, Thanjavur
4.The Gangaikondan Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
5.Airavatesvara Temple, Dharasuram, Kumbakonam
Those Temples (3,4,5) are collectively known as the " The Great living Chola Temples".
Location:
From my home(Athikadai, Thiruvarur District) Dharasuram is Apprx 40 km and from there Gangaikonda Cholapuram is apprx 40 km.
From my home, Thanjavur Big Temple is Apprx 50 Km
Let's get started from the Magnificent Thanjavur Brihadeshwara Temple.
Visiting this Temple is simply amazing. Built by the Great King "Raja Raja Cholan, the Brihadeshwara Temple stand as an outstanding example of Architectural excellence of our ancestors. This temple is 1016 years old. From Chennai, the temple is 350 km Apprx.
Thanjavur is also famous for thier Dancing dolls. Buy one as a momento. You can also visit "The Palace and the saraswathi Mahal, which is near to the temple.
The Temple is built of granite stone and recent researchers found that the temple was constructed in a way that it will withstand earthquakes.
The Gangaikondan Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram:
From Chennai this Temple is apprx 270 km.
Out of these three temple, this one is my favorite. It seems to be more beautiful for me than the other temples. The moment i saw , I just fell in love with the temple. Built by the king Rajendra cholan son of the Great Raja Raja cholan between (1012–1044 A.D).
It is located in a village named "Gangaikonda Cholapuram" which is not like Thanjavur. There wont be any big shops and restaurants. The only attraction in this place is the Temple. Most of the stones in this temples were taken by the British to build a dam. When I heard that Rajendra chola had an army comprising of 9 lakh men before some 1000 yeas I was astonished.
In the above picture , if you look closely, there will be 4 people sitting below Nataraja, out of 4 you can see an emaciated female figure playing the cymbals and displaying ascetic or demonic features. The Statue has wild uncombed hair, pointed shrivelled breasts, and a fierce facial expression identified as Karaikkal Ammaiyar.
I was born and brought up in Karaikal (My Grandma's house) and been to Karaikal ammayar Temple numerous Times. Karaikal Ammayar is the only female out of 63 nayanmars.
So even Rajendra Chola knows the story of Karaikal Ammayar some 1000 years ago. Proud moment for me.
Airavatesvara Temple, Dharasuram, Kumbakonam:
Unlike the other two temples this temple is a storehouse of art and architecture and has some wonderful carvings. This Temple was built by Raja Raja Chola II in the 12th Century.
This temple is about 5 km from kumbakonam, which known as a temple city in Tamil nadu.
The above picture is an evident that there are women warriors in the army of Rajendra chola.
There is a very small museum inside the temple, where you can get more information. Looking at the above the carvings, I was stunned and amazed thinking how intelligent and skilled our ancestors are.
Note: All the pictures in this post are taken by me.
This post is all about the "The Great Living Chola Temples".
There are totally 5 sites in Tamilnadu which are recognized as "UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES".
1.Group Of Monuments in Mamallapuram
2.Nilgiri Mountain Train
3.Brihadeshwara Temple, Thanjavur
4.The Gangaikondan Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
5.Airavatesvara Temple, Dharasuram, Kumbakonam
Those Temples (3,4,5) are collectively known as the " The Great living Chola Temples".
Location:
From my home(Athikadai, Thiruvarur District) Dharasuram is Apprx 40 km and from there Gangaikonda Cholapuram is apprx 40 km.
Visiting this Temple is simply amazing. Built by the Great King "Raja Raja Cholan, the Brihadeshwara Temple stand as an outstanding example of Architectural excellence of our ancestors. This temple is 1016 years old. From Chennai, the temple is 350 km Apprx.
 |
| Entrance |
The Temple is built of granite stone and recent researchers found that the temple was constructed in a way that it will withstand earthquakes.
The Gangaikondan Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram:
From Chennai this Temple is apprx 270 km.
Out of these three temple, this one is my favorite. It seems to be more beautiful for me than the other temples. The moment i saw , I just fell in love with the temple. Built by the king Rajendra cholan son of the Great Raja Raja cholan between (1012–1044 A.D).
It is located in a village named "Gangaikonda Cholapuram" which is not like Thanjavur. There wont be any big shops and restaurants. The only attraction in this place is the Temple. Most of the stones in this temples were taken by the British to build a dam. When I heard that Rajendra chola had an army comprising of 9 lakh men before some 1000 yeas I was astonished.
 |
| Cosmic Dance of Nataraja |
In the above picture , if you look closely, there will be 4 people sitting below Nataraja, out of 4 you can see an emaciated female figure playing the cymbals and displaying ascetic or demonic features. The Statue has wild uncombed hair, pointed shrivelled breasts, and a fierce facial expression identified as Karaikkal Ammaiyar.
I was born and brought up in Karaikal (My Grandma's house) and been to Karaikal ammayar Temple numerous Times. Karaikal Ammayar is the only female out of 63 nayanmars.
So even Rajendra Chola knows the story of Karaikal Ammayar some 1000 years ago. Proud moment for me.
It is rumoured that the above picture is the coronation ceremony of Rajendra Chola 1 graced by the Gods – Shiva and Parvati,
Unlike the other two temples this temple is a storehouse of art and architecture and has some wonderful carvings. This Temple was built by Raja Raja Chola II in the 12th Century.
This temple is about 5 km from kumbakonam, which known as a temple city in Tamil nadu.
 |
| Women Warriors |
 |
| The very famous Bull and Elephant Statue |
 |
| The magnificent Pillars |
 |
| 3D Art |
Note: All the pictures in this post are taken by me.
 |
| Me and My Friend |
Comments
Post a Comment